Jujutsu Kaisen: My Master Is a Martial Arts Maniac

Four hundred years ago, during the Edo period, an amber awakens and accidentally gives a body to Tokugawa Hikaru, a daughter of the shogunate who had died. She encounters Hajime Kashimo, a young man cast out by his family and dismissed as a lost cause. Kashimo is obsessed with breaking the seal on the forbidden cursed tool “Muten.” Through a twist of fate, the two become master and disciple. The amber and Kashimo train in jujutsu together, cast aside their prejudices, grow fond of each other, save the world, and become the strongest. Little by little, the secrets of the shogunate, Tengen, and even Abe no Seimei in the Heian-kyo of old are revealed.

Kashimo spent the first half of his life chasing power and grew lonely. At Kenjaku’s suggestion, he sought to challenge Sukuna and discover the way. The amber, meanwhile, always hoped to become truly human. Four hundred years later, the two meet again during the Culling Game.

First-person POV warning, with occasional shifts to third person.

The first half focuses heavily on the Edo period; the second half covers the Culling Game and Shinjuku Showdown.

Lots of fight scenes. Mild alternate-history elements.

Slow buildup, since this story fills in Hajime Kashimo’s life before the original Jujutsu Kaisen cast returns in the modern-day arc.

It favors storytelling over power scaling. Impatient readers can start from chapter 12.

Occasional bouts of flowery prose, but you can immerse yourself in it.

“That isn’t you.”

His tone was casual. “So, give yourself a name.”

My heart felt something strange, something I couldn’t describe.

“Then I’ll call myself Amber.” I bared my teeth at Kashimo.

Kashimo paused for a moment. “...Suit yourself.”

Corpses littered Tokyo No. 2 Colony, but a blue-haired man stood alone, gazing toward the mountains.

“Excuse me... have we met before?”

I was sure I had seen him somewhere. Where was it?